A known roof apparatus which includes a movable panel for opening and closing an opening portion formed on a roof portion of a vehicle is disclosed in US2007/228779A. As shown in FIG. 12, the roof apparatus includes a movable panel 102 for opening and closing an opening portion 101 formed on a roof portion 100 of a vehicle, and a guide rail 103 provided at a rim portion of the opening portion 101 in a vehicle width direction and extends in a front-rear direction of the vehicle (i.e., a direction perpendicular to a drawing in FIG. 12). A link member 104 connected to a rim portion of the movable panel 102 in the vehicle width direction is rotatably connected to the guide rail 103. The roof apparatus is configured to transit to a tilted-up state, for example, by raising a rear portion of the movable panel 102 with a front portion of the movable panel 102 as a rotation center in response to a rotation of the link member 104.
The guide rail 103 includes a vertical wall portion 103a provided to extend in an upward direction at a clearance C1 formed between an opening end 101a formed in a flange shape at the opening portion 101 and a rim end of the movable panel 102 in a vehicle width direction when the movable panel 102 is in a closed state. A weather strip 106 extending in a front-rear direction of the vehicle and having an approximately constant cross section is attached to the vertical wall portion 103a. The weather strip 106 includes a first seal portion 107 formed in an approximately D-shape in a cross section which liquid-tightly contacts a rim end of the movable panel 102 in the vehicle width direction, and a second seal portion 108 formed in an approximately tongue piece shape in cross section which liquid-tightly contacts the opening end 101a. Thus, the weather strip 106 prevents infiltration of a droplet or raindrops via the clearance C100.
In those circumstances, the link member 104 is positioned within a range of the clearance C100 in a vehicle width direction and protrudes above the opening portion 101 through the clearance C100 when the rear portion of the movable panel 102 is raised. Further, in a state where the movable panel 102 is fully closed, the link member 104 is positioned under the weather strip 106 (first seal portion 107). That is, the first seal portion 107 of the weather strip 106 elastically deforms so as to allow an up-down operation of the link member 104 through the clearance C100.
Notwithstanding, the first seal portion 107 is generally thick and has a configuration that unlikely deflects in an upward direction in response to, for example, a rising operation of the link member 104. Thus, repeating unstable elastic deformation of the first seal portion 107 may shorten a lifetime of the weather strip 106.
A need thus exists for a roof apparatus which is not susceptible to the drawback mentioned above.